


Trigger Warning: Terezi Pyrope

by orphan_account



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Age Gaps, Crushing, F/M, Heartbreak, Humanstuck, M/M, Pedophilia, i guess, why did I write this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-02-10
Packaged: 2018-03-11 14:06:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3329117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kankri Vantas has a crush on Latula's crazy younger sister.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trigger Warning: Terezi Pyrope

Terezi Pyrope wore possibly the tackiest t-shirts he had ever seen in his entire life. But he couldn't tell her that for fear of triggering her but he felt that he should because she was triggering him. Either way, he always ended up hot and bothered whenever Karkat's best friend came over. On the bright side, when Terezi came around so did Latula. So Kankri could distract himself from the younger Pyrope's triggering behaviour by spending time with the older one. Even so, he had to prepare himself whenever Terezi came over. 

He would stand at the window and watch as the pair walked up the driveway. Latula was much taller than her sister and always strode slightly ahead of her, as if she was ashamed that they were related. Terezi seemed unbothered though, skipping and jumping all the way to the front door. Her tacky dragon t-shirts always got Kankri feeling a little flustered as she approached and sometimes she wore that ridiculous red cape, which made him tug at the collar of his turtleneck. 

When they got to the front door, he had to open it and greet them. He always had to take a moment before he opened the door to think of what he was going to say.  
"Hi Latula." he normally greeted with, trying to keep his eyes away from the younger girl.  
"Sup Kankri?" She normally replied and sometimes, Kankri couldn't even criticise how triggering her laid back way of speaking way because his eyes had latched onto Terezi. She wasn't as small as Karkat but she was still shorter than him. She was bound be taller when she grew and she would definitely fill out a little more- ahem- in the right places. She'd look like Latula only without the dignified, sleek grooming. 

Yes, while Latula was presentable, Terezi was rather scruffy looking. Her hair was always a little messy, as if she'd only just woken up and rolled out of bed. Her tacky dragon t-shirts Kankri didn't even want to describe, they were horrific. She always wore bright red glasses like her sister, only Terezi's were strangely shaped. Where did you even get glasses like that? She normally had matching red clips in her hair, clipping the strands out of her face and clashing horribly with her ginger hair. Her skin was pale but her nose was dotted with sweet little freckles- no, not sweet! Triggering! Her pants were alright, aside from the scuffs on the knees. Her sneakers were falling apart at the seams and Latula didn't seem to notice. Kankri didn't blame her though; since their Mom had fallen into a coma, Latula had been stuck raising Terezi on her own. Must be difficult keeping such a crazy kid under control all the time. Seriously, Terezi was nuts. 

Once, Terezi had hugged Kankri when she'd walked in the door. She'd just wrapped her freckled arms around him and buried her face in his chest with a deep sigh. Her tiny fingers clutched at his turtleneck, tugging on it gently. Then, she'd let go and run off, yelling for Karkat, Karkat, Karkat, where are you, Karkat?! Karkat, get your sorry ass out here right now!  
"She thinks she can smell colours." Latula had explained, watching her sister run off.  
"She what?" Kankri was still a little in shock.  
"Colours. She thinks she can smell them." Latula rolled her eyes, "Crazy, right? Red's her favourite apparently." Kankri just looked down at his sweater, clenching a handful of it in his fist. He wished that she could have clung to him just a little longer. 

He barely ever saw Terezi until she left in the early evenings, clinging to the back of Latula's shirt so that she could keep up. He sometimes saw her darting through the kitchen in hunt of Karkat, who liked to hide from her sometimes. Kankri didn't blame him- if he wasn't a responsible adult, he would have hidden from Terezi too.  
"He's probably just shy, Rezi." Latula called after her sister, "Maybe if you stopped trying to sniff him, he wouldn't hide from you." The younger Pyrope just let out a huff of indignation and carried on running, shrieking for Karkat to come out or so help him, he would be in sooo much trouble!  
"She's amusing. And triggering." Kankri had quipped and Latula had shook her head, grinning.  
"She's a case." And for some reason, pain seared in his chest when he saw that she was serious. 

He was always the one that went to check that the pair were okay. Whenever Karkat and Terezi got too rowdy or when they got alarmingly quiet, he was the one that ran up the stairs to see what on earth they'd got up to this time. It was normally something ridiculous; an argument over something stupid that didn't even matter, Terezi cornering Karkat in attempt to lick him (?), one of them injuring the other and regretting it instantly. That was how they found out about Karkat's hemophilia actually. Kankri had gone upstairs after they'd gone suddenly quiet. He'd opened the door and been horrified. The pair of them were sitting on the floor, facing away from him.  
"Are you two okay?" Kankri had frowned, in concern. Both of them refused to look at him. Karkat let out a grunt and Terezi what could have been a laugh or a sob. He went to walk over but Terezi screamed, leaping in front of Karkat as a shield.  
"This doesn't concern you, Kankri!" she yelled at him, before continuing screaming at the very top of her lungs. He didn't even know it was possible for a child that small to produce such a loud noise. 

By this point, Latula had to come to investigate why Terezi was intent on screaming the house down. She looked just as puzzled as Kankri did.  
"TZ, be quiet!" Latula yelled. Her sister stopped screaming, maybe because her sister asked or maybe because she'd ran out of air. She inhaled deeply, ready to scream again. Before he could register what he was doing, Kankri pulled her into a tight hug. All her muscles were tense and he realised quickly that she was sobbing, crying into his sweater. Her limbs relaxed and she went all floppy in his arms. That was when Karkat half turned to see what was going on and Kankri inhaled quickly. His younger brother was covered in blood and tears tracked down his cheeks. He was surprised that Karkat wasn't making more of a fuss actually.  
"Fuck off, Kankri." Karkat said, bravely, but his voice cracked midway and he came off sounding pathetic. 

"Latula, call an ambulance." Kankri said, quickly, "Now!" And that was how he got to hold Terezi for the first time, sitting in the back of an ambulance on the way to hospital. He was holding Karkat tightly by the hand but couldn't help that feel that his younger brother should be getting more of his attention. Karkat did look rather pale. But Terezi insisted on clinging to Kankri and not letting go, crying hysterically. She was even more upset than Karkat, who was being patched up frantically by medics.  
"He said not to tell you!" She howled, in panic, "He said you'd overreact!" He'd never seen her cry before, not like this.  
"Terezi, can you please refrain from screaming?" Kankri said, as calmly as he could in the circumstances, "The medical people are trying to do their jobs and I fear your screams may be triggering them. They're going to fix Karkat, just calm down. You're making everyone feel rather tense." She'd got silent then and settled for sniffling into his chest. He'd held her there and stroked her hair. He remembered thinking that really, she was too old for this. 

And that was the thought on his mind day after day, as his obsession developed; Terezi's age. If only she were just a little older or if he was a little younger... No, it was wrong to think like that. She was only thirteen and small for her age at that. He was nineteen years old, way too old to be... Triggered by a child. Thankfully, Latula was around to keep him on his toes otherwise- and he was horrified to admit it- he might've shown his affection to Terezi by now. Instead, he kept quiet about it and hoped that neither his brother or his dad noticed. Thankfully, the pair of them seemed oblivious for now. Terezi didn't seem to notice either, even when he stumbled over his words a little every time he spoke to her. 

Terezi was fifteen by the time Kankri got to hold her again and he'd waited so long for it. By this point, he'd realised that he could never have Terezi as his own and encouraged his brother to ask her out. He was reluctant though, grumbling whenever he brought it up.  
"Kankri, gog, it's like you're obsessed with her or something." He rolled his eyes and went back to his room. From that point on, Karkat always met the Pyrope girl outside of the house and always with other friends around to stop it being intimate. He never asked Kankri to come with him or even for him to drive him to wherever; the arcade, the bowling alley, the mall. Kankri hid his disappointment. But one day, Kankri was surprised to come home and find a group of teenagers sprawled across the couch. His heart leapt. 

"Hey Kankri!" John said, brightly, grinning at him. He'd been pushed off the couch and was sitting on the ground with his legs crossed. Kankri forced a smile back and let his eyes drift over them. The hipster kid with the glasses was hanging off the edge of the couch, clearly unwanted. His scarf was nearly strangling him. That Dave kid was nestled against Karkat, his head resting on the boy's chest. Karkat glanced up at Kankri for a second before shifting where he lay, pushing Dave's head away. The boy moaned and tried to cling on. Maybe that was the reason that Karkat had never fallen for Terezi.  
"Move your fucking ass, Strider." Karkat groaned, sleepily. And then, and then, and THEN, at the other edge of the couch sat Terezi on her own, her feet tucked underneath her. Kankri could see her tacky t-shirt peeping out from under her hoodie. She had an one earphone tucked into her ear, probably playing one of those audio sets that they give to blind people. They were all staring at the screen, where one of those movies that Karkat liked was playing. All of them seemed transfixed and sleepy.

He was going to warn them about damaging their eyesight, when Terezi spoke suddenly.  
"Kankri, is that you?" She turned her head in his direction, her head of messy hair swinging with her, "Do you want to sit down?" She shifted in her seat, trying to make space. How on earth could he resist an invitation like that? Without a word, he crossed the room and sat beside her, hesitantly. She fell into his arms, leaning against him with a smile.  
"You smell good..." Terezi whispered, looking up at him. Her ridiculous glasses had slid down her freckled nose and he could see her bright eyes, lit up by the light from the screen.  
"Triggers." Kankri whispered back and she laughed. They stayed like that for a while; him holding her awkwardly in his arms, her relaxing against him as if they'd been together for years. It was triggering to say the least. 

At sixteen, Karkat moved out and into his own apartment, which left Kankri with the house to himself most of the time. Their dad always seemed to be busy or sleeping, so he didn't bother Kankri much. In fact, nobody bothered Kankri much anymore. Everyone he knew seemed to have either a smooth relationship that meant they spent all their time together or a rocky relationship that meant they had to spend a lot of time working on. He felt very alone some nights, not that he'd ever admit it. So, he was surprised when one day, he got a knock on the door late in the evening. He opened the door and was surprised when Terezi stumbled into him, sobbing frantically.  
"Kankri!" she cried, burying her face in his shirt, "Kankri, it... They...!" She seemed frantic with whatever it was, her hands clawing at him.  
"Dave and Karkat!" was what she sobbed out next and suddenly, it all snapped into place. 

Over the last year, Kankri had heard more and more about Dave fucking fuckass Strider, as Karkat eloquently called him. From what he heard, Karkat detested him more than he had ever hated anyone in his whole life. But he also had the biggest crush on him. He was always talking about Dave's fucking shades that hid his eyes that shit sponge, why wouldn't he just take the motherfucking shades off? Why was he so ignorant and why did he get Karkat's fucking stomach into a knot? Why was he such a fucking sexy prick all the time, that ignorant fuckass? He was clearly just trying to ruin Karkat's entire existence!  
"Language." was all that Kankri had replied with a smile.  
"Shut up." Karkat had growled in return. 

And last week, Karkat had admitted with a grumble that he'd motherfucking kissed Dave fucking fuckass Strider on the fucking lips, holy shit. He'd said that he wasn't going to tell anyone but it must've got around. And now Terezi was crying into Kankri's shirt and didn't seem to be able to stop.  
"Terezi... Terezi..." Kankri hushed her, gently, "Terezi... Rezi." She looked up then, her eyes watering with tears. She wasn't wearing her shades and her pretty eyes were on show, glittering in the light. He was going to talk to her, tell her that it wasn't that bad. He was going to tell her that she would get over this, she would find someone else. He was going to talk. But instead of falling open, his mouth fell on her lips. 

He'd never had much practice with kissing as he thought it was rather triggering but he thought he did quite well. He pressed their mouths together and after a moment, her tongue snuck into his mouth. She licked at his tongue, letting out small gasps as she did so, and licked at the inside of his mouth. He wrapped one arm around her shoulder and held her there. She was about the same height as him so he barely had to lean down to reach her pretty mouth and that tongue that seemed to have a mind of its own. He didn't dare touch her, even though he felt like he wanted to, he didn't want to ruin such a precious moment in his life. He'd waited years and it was finally happening... Until she pulled away. 

"Kankri, I'm sorry." Terezi said, "But I don't want to be with you." 

He held it together until she went a home, which was soon after. She smiled at him gently and sadly, as she closed the front door behind her. Kankri was alone, more alone then he'd ever been in his entire life. He crawled into bed and nursed his shattered heart under the covers. It felt like somebody had punched him in the chest and broken all his ribs. The physical pain was too much for him and for the first time since he was a small child, Kankri Vantas cried softly to himself. He just lay there, curled in on himself and sobbed. He'd waited so long for that kiss and it had been everything he had ever imagined. 

But Terezi didn't like him. 

She didn't like him. 

All this time, he'd been waiting for her to reach adulthood and she didn't even like him. 

She liked Karkat. 

Terezi liked Karkat. 

And again, for the first time since he was a child, Kankri felt real hatred towards his brother. It was so unfair; everything seemed to work out for Karkat somehow and he was never grateful for it. Karkat didn't even seem to care about Terezi, now that he had Dave. But Kankri would've given anything to have Terezi to himself. He would've given his life's savings. Anything. He wondered if she would find it romantic or if he would come across as desperate if he begged her to be with him. Who knew with Terezi? He never knew what was going on with her. 

He could never tell anyone what had happened obviously and had harvested his feelings in secret at home, no longer crying but just aching. Aching for Terezi and for the love that he knew that he could never have from her. Aching with envy at Karkat for having the most perfect girl in the world waiting for him and for him to not even notice. Aching, aching, aching. The dull pain filled him day after day. He wondered if he should seek help, it ached so much. After a month or so, Kankri's friends began to notice that he had gone into hibernation. They had come to the house and demanded answers, wanting to know what had happened. He told them, one at a time, that he was just working though some stuff. 

And, after a while, Kankri began to go out with his friends again. He had to push himself and always had that same aching feeling just before he left the house, the feeling he'd felt that night hitting him again in waves. His heart pounded and he could taste bile in the back of his mouth but he kept pushing himself into spending time with them. And eventually, he began to get over it. His heart didn't so much as heal, as much as it numbed to the pain.  
"I'm really proud you got over whatever it was." Latula told him, one night at the bowling alley. He just nodded and looked away, trying to control the shudders that he got whenever Latula spoke to him. She hadn't said anything so he could only assume that Terezi hadn't told her sister. But that somehow made him feel worse. He could barely look at Latula anymore and he had no idea what he'd do if he saw Terezi. 

The next time he did see Terezi was months after the kiss but his throat still closed up when he saw her, at the mall with her friends. Karkat was there, along with the rest of the rag-tag bunch. They were yelling and running and generally causing havoc. His heart jumped into his throat and he had to swallow hard.  
"Kidsth." Mituna shook his head with a sigh. They watched as the group passed. And Kankri couldn't help but notice that Terezi looked rather happy to just be with her friends. She was laughing as she ran alongside Karkat, her dragon cape flying out behind her. And while that didn't change how Kankri felt, it gave him a sense of determination. If Terezi could get over the kiss, he could too. He could've sworn that she glanced in his direction for a moment and her smile didn't fall; she positively grinned at him. From that moment on, his chest no longer ached with pain but with determination. 

Terezi Pyrope, at seventeen years old, still wore those ridiculously tacky dragon t-shirts. But he no longer found it triggering; it just gave him determination to get back on his feet.


End file.
